In movies, when one of the good guys dies, it rains. But, one the day of my mother's funeral, it was annoyingly sunny, and just a plain beautiful day. I hated it! All of it! I hated the sun for shining, and the birds for singing! I hated my mom for dying on me and James! And most of all, I hated myself for hating so much.

Little James was squirming around in my lap, and starting to whimper. "Hey, Jamesie, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, turning him to face.

"I wan mommy!" he declared loudly, crossing his arms and pouting. I wanted yell at him, and tell him mom was never coming back! That he could want her all he wanted, but she wouldn't come, because she was dead! But, I didn't. James was only a baby, he didn't understand.

I stood up, took one last look at the man covering my mom's coffin, and swallowed the lump in my throat. I had to be strong, for James. "Are you ready to go home Jamesie?"

"Mommy be thewe?" I shook my head. He pouted again.

"But, hey, I'm here aren't I? It's just like mama being away on business." Forever I added mentally. "And…I'll see if Sara can come over and bring Mark! You love to play with Mark!" James' face brightened, and he started clapping. I held him close to my chest and apparated to our apartment.

I set James down on the couch, and walked into the kitchen to call Sara when I saw an owl sitting on our window sill. I walked over to it, and took the letter. I then set a bowl of food and water in front of it (Treat the owls like guest, as mom would say). I ripped open the envelope and started reading the letter.

Dear Nicoleen- Lillian Jessica Potter-Black

"Could I have a longer name?" I mumbled

I am very sorry to hear of your mother's resent passing. Jessica Potter was a wonderful Witch and it is a shame the world has lost her.

"Huh, no shit?" Okay, I do realize I was being sarcastic to a letter.

I was your mother and father's headmaster at School. I am also the founder of an organization both your parents were involved in, called the Order of the Phoenix. Your father currently owns our headquarters. I know you are of age, but you still have not finished your education. I have been informed that you are going to drop out of the American Academy of Witchcraft to take care of your brother.

May I offer you an alternate option? Please consider coming to England and attending Hogwarts, and allowing Young James Sirius Potter-Black to live at Order of the Phoenix headquarters with your father?

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

I read through the letter a few more times before James toddled in. "Call Sawa now!" He ordered, crossing his chubby arms.

"Huh?" Wow…I'm a wonderful guardian, ignoring my charge like that! "Oh…of course, I'll call her right now." I hoped up on the counter, and grabbed the phone.

"Thanks for coming over, Sara." I said, setting a cup of coffee in front of her. Sara was a friend of my mom's, and her son, Mark, was almost always over to play with James.

"It's no problem. I'm just happy to see you coping so well." She smiled, and started adding sugar to her coffee. "But, Nikki, I do want to talk to you about something." She took a sip before continuing. "I'm sure Jessica would want you to continue your schooling. Why don't you let James stay with me while you're at school? And don't you want to be an Auror like your mother? You'll be training for a few years for that too."

"First off, I never wanted to be and Auror. Everyone just assumed I would, cuz I'm somewhat like my mom." I took a big gulp of my coffee. "Second, I actually wanted to talk to you about that. I got a letter today, from my mother's old headmaster. He said that my mother did have a will in England, and that it left me to a very good friend of her's. He said that they were willing to look after James while I go to Hogwarts." I grabbed a Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Bean from the bowl that mom had always kept on the kitchen table and popped it into my mouth. "I'm going."

"Nikki, why would you do that? You've only got one year left of school, why leave now?" asked Sara.

"I just feel like mom would want me too. Ya know, I was born there, and she always said we'd move back." Sara leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Getting back to your roots, huh? You feel the need to uproot not only you, but your brother to do that?" asked Sara.

"Mom moved here to get a new start, and I think that's what James and I need right now; a new start." I declared, draining the rest of my coffee. "Who knows what this could do for us?"

"Nicoleen-Lillian," Seriously, were did my parents get my name!? "Why would you want a new start? You have friends here; this is where you grew up.

"I guess you just don't understand, Sara." I mumbled, getting up to get another cup of coffee.

That night I pack James and I's things and floo-ed to Hogwarts after sending a letter to Albus Dumbledore.